Call to axe Advocate divides public
A Bensonhurst councilman on
Nov. 14 introduced a bill to eliminate
the watchdog position of
public advocate, weeks ahead of a
special election to fi ll the seat that
the current offi ceholder, Letitia
“Tish” James, will vacate to become
the state’s next attorney general
(“Bklyn pol pushing to axe
Public Advocate offi ce,” by Kevin
Duggan, online Nov. 14).
Councilman Kalman Yeger’s
(D–Bensonhurst) legislation proposes
letting voters decide via
a future ballot referendum on
whether to keep the offi ce of public
advocate. Yeger — the colleague of
several Kings County pols who’ve
already launched bids to replace
James — reportedly proposed the
bill because he’d rather see the
taxpayer dollars that now fund
the offi ce, which the city created
in 1993, spent elsewhere.
Some readers agreed, while
others felt strongly otherwise:
This is a great idea. Our mayor
and the councilmembers should advocate
for the public. We don’t need a
separate position for it.
If not that, we should select the
public advocate by getting rid of the
mayoral primary, and making the
public advocate whomever gets the
second-most votes in the mayoral
race. Mike from Williamsburg
I support this initiative. The offi ce
of Public Advocate is useless in fact
and redundant in purpose. John
from Bay Ridge
Let’s axe as many city offi ces as
possible to reduce government waste
of taxpayer money. More importantly,
it is for the citizens to decide
what and how much government to
have, rather than government deciding
for the citizens.
Citizens need to take control of
government, rather than the other
way around. Remember always that
it works for us! Sam from Brooklyn
I believe this offi ce was created to
protect and aid our residents. Don’t
be so quick to agree to terminate a
position without knowing all the details,
and I doubt that people do.
Politicians are anxious to look
good in our eyes by saving money,
but when we need someone in that
position to do the job they were appointed
to do, the elimination of that
position doesn’t always serve us for
the better. Bunny from Brooklyn
Spend money on replacing the position,
and call it ombudsperson.
Frank from Furter
If this call to eliminate the public
advocate and the work of the offi ce is
based on money issues, why don’t we
reduce the pay of councilmembers
too?
There could just as well be an argument
made that those positions
could all be volunteer. Charles
from Bklyn
Defi nitely get rid of this political
place holder. DeBlasio created the famous
“Worst Landlords” list, but the
list seemed just as long under Letitia
James, just as ceremonial as the position.
Does the public advocate have
any actual power? Now that the public
approved the creation of the new,
useless Department of Civic Engagement,
why don’t we swap out the useless
public advocate offi ce for that,
and at least keep the government in
check by one superfl uous agency?
Josh from Park Slope
Let’s abolish Yeger’s position and
spend the money saved on important
things, like bike and bus lanes, that
he rails against. Moe from Bk
Public advocate or the offi ce of
ombudsman is needed in big cities,
because councilmembers often don’t
answer e-mails from constituents in
the community.
For example, the lack of lighting
in Seth Low Park in Councilman Kalman
Yeger’s Bensonhurst district.
MJ from Bay Ridge
Why don’t we axe the councilmembers
instead? The public advocate
should have stronger power. Someone
should keep the government in
check. Too many times the councilmembers
come up with these offthe
wall laws. And most of the time
these are not voted upon by the people
of New York City.
Remember our “wonderful”
Mayor Bloomberg, who bought his
third term? The public advocate
should have had the power to stop his
COURIER L 28 IFE, NOV. 23–29, 2018 DT
third term, which was against city’s
charter of two terms.
I have a great idea, why don’t the
councilmembers vote themselves another
raise like they did in the past?
So much for government working
for the people!!! Jeff from Brooklyn
I don’t know what could possibly
make someone (like Jeff, above)
think that all elected offi cials except
one are “the government,” but this
one other elected offi cial, who has
no power, keeps the government in
check.
If you want the government to do
different things, elect different mayors,
councilmembers, and governors.
Mike from Williamsburg
Mike, if you read my entire comment,
it also states that the public
advocate should have more power.
What different things are you talking
about? How about a mayor who
“bought” his third term (which was
illegal because of term limits) from
Council, or a councilmember picking
his own replacement instead of having
the public voting him into offi ce?
Open your eyes, there is too much
b------- going on in city government
that a lot of the public does not know
about! Jeff from Brooklyn
A Carroll Gardens restaurateur
is shuttering his beloved Middle
Eastern eatery on Smith Street
after 20 years in the neighborhood
(“Zay it ain’t so! Restaurateur
closing Zaytoons in Carroll Gardens
this month,” by Colin Mixson,
online Nov. 15).
The owner of Zaytoons served
his last meal at the establishment
between Sackett and Degraw
streets on Nov. 20, before closing
its kitchen for good in an attempt
to wind down after decades of
feeding hungry locals, he said.
“I’m just trying to simplify my
life,” said Faried Assad. “It really
came down to, I got tired.”
Commenters bid farewell to the
adored institution:
One more of my go-to places bites
the dust. Leaves Cafe LuLuc on Smith
Street as the last of the reasonable
places, in my opinion. Sid
from Boerum Hill
I used to go to the place all the
time, but once it dropped the “loomi”
(a tea-and-something drink), it was
over for me. I’ve been going all the
time to Bedouin Tent at 405 Atlantic
Ave. — it is the best, a little further,
but so worth it.
Not so sure Nature’s Grill will be
the best choice, as it is not one of the
stronger establishments in the neighborhood.
I occasionally get its tuna
on the downside, and although they
make it well, you take your chances.
Too Bad from Cobble Hill
Maybe it holds more true in areas
in Manhattan such as Times Square,
SoHo, or Greenwich Village. But in
local neighborhoods like ours, contrary
to “popular belief,” it is rarely
“greedy landlords” who cause closures.
Rising labor costs, frivolous lawsuits,
onerous regulations-penalties,
and changing eating-buying habits
are usually the real culprits.
James from BoCoCa
Can’t you see?
So, Community Board 2 recently
approved a street co-naming honoring
Christopher “Biggie Smalls”
Wallace, but what changed in the
fi ve years since CB2 outright rejected
the same co-naming plan in
2013? In my view, we are still living
with the legend of the Notorious
B.I.G. And legends can be exaggerated,
gassed up, and open to rumor
and innuendo.
Legend may say that a mix tape
that moved 1,000 units turns into 10
thousand. Legend may also make
that 100-seat venue a 500-seat one,
and it can go on and on like that. Legend
can also lead to rumors.
We’ve all seen this movie before,
it’s hip-hop in the ’90s, and you’ve got
to have some street cred. And we’re
more than 20 years since Wallace’s
death, and now he has emerged as
this tremendous iconic fi gure, where
tour buses come to the block he grew
up every week.
On any given day, you can spot
people from all over the world, coming
just to take a photo on the stoop
of his childhood home. And let’s not
forget the no-parking signs that come
around from time to time, just to
make way for fi lm crews to shoot videos
and on-site scenes for movies.
Getting the green light from CB2
is a big step, and the process will now
move to Council, in the hope that the
body will recognize how a young kid
once called “Fat Chris” would go on
to make his neighborhood proud as
the cultural icon that is known today
as Christopher Wallace!
Kevin Thorbourne
Clinton Hill
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